My friend and colleague Lawrence Wilson, who has died aged 52 of a stroke, trained a generation of anaesthetists in the north-west of England and led the intensive care unit at the Countess of Chester hospital during the pandemic. The respect and affection with which he was held was made clear during his own final days in hospital, as every clinician who looked after him had a fondly remembered story to tell.
Lawrence was born in Burnley, Lancashire, the son of Frances (nee Ward) and Richard Wilson. The family moved to nearby Preston when he was seven – he was a proud Preston “Guild baby” (born in a Guild year and attending, in his pram, the week-long celebrations that have been held every 20 years for centuries).
